Mitch Sherman
NU coach can
answer critics
with victories
Danny Nee can’t seem to do any
thing right these days.
When he loses, he gets bashed.
And now when he wins, he gets
bashed.,
Tuesday, Nebraska’s basketball
coach lashed back at the news me
dia, using his weekly press confer
ence as a forum to express displea
sure with a pair of columns published
Monday in the Omaha and Lincoln
newspapers.
“I was shocked,” Nee said. ‘‘‘I
thought the game and the players was
the most important thing, but obvi
ously it’s not.”
This week’s newspaper reports,
much like nearly all recent criticism
directed at Nee, attacked NU’s lack
of consistency in the wake of its 79
67 victory over Texas on Sunday.
Nee took it a little too personally.
The coach overreacted, balking at the
thought of being called a slickster
and compared to a used car salesman.
“I don’t think that’s appropriate,”
Nee said. “I shouldn’t call you
names, and you shouldn’t put labels
on me, because most of the people
in this room don’t know Danny Nee.
You judge me on two hours a day,
but that’s the mentality of the press.
“I’ve looked this way for 51
years. I’ve talked this way for 51
years. One thing that has been con
sistent about me is my blunt frank
ness and honesty.”
in a sense, Nee is right. The
Comhusker coach speaks his mind,
and at times, his honesty becomes a
little hard to swallow, not only for
the press, but for Husker fans and
players. Nee’s record creates unre
alistic expectations, particularly this
season with a team featuring seven
freshmen and sophomores.
Considering that NU has played
one of the nation’s most difficult
schedules (nonconference losses to
Minnesota and Cincinatti carry a
heavy hammer in the RPI), a 14-11
mark in mid-February is respectable.
Nee has his thin, young team
headed in the right direction, and
nearly all this criticism smells mys
teriously like it originated during last
season’s one-day practice boycott.
Nee rectified that situation, but still
he hasn’t won an NCAA Tourna
ment game in 11 years at Nebraska.
“I love coaching at Nebraska,”
Nee said. “But these last two years
have been very hard. I guess that
comes with the territory.”
Nee understands his job and he
certainly knows the territory. He’s
been through this before, but can he
prochice?
With two weeks to play in the
regular season, NU needs a win over
Iowa State or Kansas.
Without it, the Huskers are
headed back to the NTT— much too
familiar territory.
Sherman Is a senior news-edi
torial msyor and a Daily Nebras
kan senior reporter.
By Gregg Madsen
Staff Reporter
The 750-plus miles separating
Hastings from Waco, Texas, didn’t
stop Doug Brandt from leaving Ne
braska after high
school to accept a
basketball schol
arship at Baylor.
Five years
later, Brandt
doesn’t regret his
choice.
“I’ve been
really pleased
with my decision
to come to
Baylor,” he said.
“I wouldn’t
change it for anything.”
Tonight at 6:07, Brandt gets the
chance to face his home-state school
for the first time when the Bears play
host to the Comhuskers at the Ferrell
Center in Waco.
The 6-foot-10, 210-pound Brandt,
who averages 11.3 points and 6.6 re
bounds per game, said he is excited
about the chance to play NU.
“It’ll be fun because there will be
a lot of folks back home that see this
and get a chance to see how I play
now,” Brandt said.
Nebraska Coach Danny Nee —
who goes for his 200th win as the
Huskers; coach against the Bears —
said the Huskers tried to recruit Brandt
five years ago.
“We were really hoping that he
would sign late, but he signed (with
Baylor) early,” Nee said. “We were
really disappointed.”
Brandt said the Bears (16-9 over
all and 4-8 in the Big 12 Conference)
will have to play solid defense to
counter the athleticism of the Huskers
(14-11 and 5-7).
‘We’ll have to keep them off the
boards and stop their transition game,”
Brandt said. “They’re a very athletic
team.”
Both teams are closely matched at
each position, Brandt said, but play
ing the Huskers at the Ferrell Center
Please see BRANDT on 8
By Mike Kluck
Senior Reporter
Over the past two weeks the Baylor
women’s basketball team and Ne
braska have fallen on hard times own
ing a combined 2
9 record.
T h e
Comhuskers (17
5 overall and 7-5
the Big 12 Con
have lost
four of their last
games fol
a 71-70
overtime loss to
Texas on Monday
night, while the
Bears have lost four straight games,
including five of their last six, and have
dropped their last five road contests.
But tonight at 7, when the two skid
ding teams meet at the Bob Devaney
Sports Center, the outcome of the
game might determine where each
team goes with only four conference
games remaining.
A win for the Huskers helps to so
lidify their chances for a possible
NCAA Tournament berth. A loss, NU
Coach Angela Beck said, will put the
Huskers’ “backs against the wall,” in
an attempt to make the tournament for
the second consecutive season.
“This is a very important game for
us as far as having an opportunity to
go to the NCAA’s,” Beck said. “We
are going to have to take care of our
homestand. This is a situation where I
expect us to come out and play very
hard and Very well.
“I really think we have a lot at
stake. It’s not like we’ve got 10 more
games left in the season — this is the
crunch.”
After tonight’s game, NU plays
host to Iowa State for the Huskers’ fi
nal home game of the year before fin
ishing the season with road contests
at Kansas and Oklahoma State.
The Bears (11-11 and 4-8) are play
ing for pride. Baylor needs to win three
of its final four games to post its first
winning record since finishing 15-12
Please see BEARS on 8
Huskers
outlast
Antelopes
By David Wilson
Staff Reporter
Hie University of Nebraska at
Kearney baseball team didn’t go
down without a fight Tuesday.
Nebraska used 10 pitchers and
two big offensive innings to spoil
the Antelopes’ attack,; defeating
UNK 6-1 and 8-6 in a double
header at Buck Beltzer Field.
The Comhuskers, who im
proved to 3-0, will face their first
Division I competition in the
Rawlings Spring Training Tourna
ment, .which begins Thursday.
Hie Antelopes (0-2) took a 1-0
lead into the bottom of the eighth
inning of game one, but Nebraska
exploded for six runs highlighted
by a three-run double by third
baseman Ken Harvey.
UNK starting pitcher Neal
Arnold held the Huskers to just
four hits while striking out seven.
“He threw well and com
manded well,” NU Coach John
Sanders said. “He’s going to win
some games. He could pitch in
Division I right now.”
Pat Driscoll threw 5 1/3 innings
of no-hit ball for the Huskers and
struck out six before being re
placed by Steve Fish. Fish (1-0)
threw 2 2/3 innings to earn the win.
In the nightcap, Nebraska
broke a 4-4 tie in the fifth inning
by scoring four runs. Catcher
Michael Knust — playing in his
first collegiate game — doubled
' home two and scored on a balk to
put the Huskers ahead 8-4. v~
Senior Jonas Armenta started
game two for NU, throwing just
three innings, and striking out five.
Sophomore Jarod Bearingef threw
two scoreless innings and was cred
ited with his first win of die season.
Sanders said he is pleased with
NU’s overall effort, but would like
the Husker hitters to cut down on
their 18 strikeouts.
“We just need to do a better job
of avoiding the strikeout: by put
ting the ball in play with two
strikes,” Sanders said.
The 10 Nebraska pitchers com
bined to fan 23 Antelopes down on
strikes.
“This game we tried to get as
I I
many as we could (m die mound and
get them feeling good about them
selves,” Sanders said.
Three pitchers — Brandon
Banuelos, Derek Adair and
Kerrick Jackson — made their
Husker debuts allowing one hit.
‘1 think there were some cases
where there may be some nerves,”
Sanders said. “The fact that we were
able to experiment was huge.”
Daniel LoEDHrtfDN
JAROD BEARINGER throws a pitch during the second game of NU*
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Bears, NU enter
game on skids
Ersta
move 1
first L- 1
Former Husker
starts spring training
today for Anaheim.
By David Wilson
Staff Reporter
Darin Erstad has found his place
at first base for the Anaheim Angels.
The former Cornhusker, who
fought for playing
time in a crowded
Angel outfield last
season, will be the
team’s starting
first baseman
when he reports to
Mesa, Ariz., today
for spring train
ing. -J
*Tve been told _
Dy me manager Entail
(Terry Collins)
and the G.M. (Bill Bavasi) that it’s
basically my job to lose,” Erstad said.
“If I do what I’m supposed to do and
show them that I can be solid on de
fense, they are going to give me every
opportunity to start.”
The position opened when Anaheim
traded first baseman J.T. Snow to San
Francisco. Snow started at first base the
past four seasons for the Angels.
Erstad, who hit .284 in two sepa
rate call-ups last year, said he would
like to earn his keep this season.
“Everybody says it’s easy to get
there,” Erstad said, “but die toughest
thing is to stay. That’s my main con
cern right now.
“I’m just a guy who goes out and
plays the game. I keep my mouth shut
and try not to get in too many faces. I
definitely haven’t established myself
by any means.” .J
The opportunity came for Erstad
Please see ERSTAD on 8